Why can't I use the WorkSpaces client to access my Windows WorkSpace?

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I receive an error message when I use the Amazon WorkSpaces client to sign in to my WorkSpace.

Resolution

"Couldn't launch your WorkSpace" error

When you authenticate, the WorkSpaces client might give you the following error message:

"Unknown error Occurred. We couldn't launch your WorkSpace. Please try again. If you need help, contact your administrator"

This error occurs when the WorkSpaces client authenticates over port 443 but can't establish a connection over TCP ports. The client device might not meet the network requirements.

To resolve this error, connect the WorkSpaces client to the TCP port.

For PC-over-IP (PCoIP) WorkSpaces, connect the WorkSpaces client to TCP port 4172.

For Amazon DCV WorkSpaces, connect the client to TCP port 4195.

It's a best practice to check for data changes on the Connection Health Check page several times a day. To view the health checks for the machine that the client runs on, launch the WorkSpaces client, and then choose the network icon. If the client's network health status is Unhealthy, then choose the network icon in the client to see the failed health checks in WorkSpaces clients version 3.0 or later.

Note: Access issues might occur because of a client-side firewall or proxy that prevents access over port 4172 or 4195 (TCP and UDP). If the health check fails, then check your local firewall settings.

If the client's network health status is Healthy, then check your WorkSpace network configuration. For example, a Windows Firewall rule or an antivirus check might block TCP port 4172 or TCP 4195 on the management interface. Use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to connect to the WorkSpace. Then, confirm that the WorkSpace allows access on the required ports.

"Disconnected" error after you launch a session

After you authenticate, you might get the "Launching Session" message, and then the "Disconnected" message with no other errors.

This error occurs when the WorkSpaces client can authenticate over port 443 but can't establish a streaming connection over UDP port 4172 or UDP 4195.

To resolve this error, use RDP to connect to the WorkSpace to check the network connection and confirm that your configuration meets the network requirements.

Instability of the network that you access the WorkSpaces Personal instance from might cause WorkSpaces Personal to disconnect and reconnect.

Connection issues might also occur when you're connected through a VPN, and then connect to your WorkSpace. Confirm whether the issue occurs when you use a VPN or proxy to connect, or when you connect without a VPN or proxy.

If you access a WorkSpace through a VPN, then the connection must support a maximum transmission unit (MTU) of at least 1200 bytes.

You can't access your WorkSpace through a VPN that's connected to your virtual private cloud (VPC). To use a VPN to access WorkSpaces, you must use an internet connection through the VPN's public IP addresses. For more information, see IP address and port requirements for WorkSpaces Personal.

"Unable to connect" or "Unable to log in" error after you launch a session

After you authenticate, you might get the "Launching Session" message, and then one of the following error messages:

"Unable to connect. Your WorkSpace is not reachable at the moment. You can try and reconnect anytime"

"Unable to connect. We couldn't launch your WorkSpace. Please try again. If you need help, contact your administrator"

"Unable to log in. We couldn't launch your WorkSpace. Please try again. If you need help, contact your administrator"

These errors occur because one of the following services doesn't respond to health checks:

SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService
PCoIP Standard Agent for Windows (PCoIP-based WorkSpaces only)
STXHD Hosted Application Service (PCoIP-based WorkSpaces that use a Windows Server 2016 bundle)
DCV Server (WSP-based WorkSpaces only)
WSP Adapter for DCV (WSP-based WorkSpaces only)

If a service doesn't run, then the status of the WorkSpace might be Unhealthy.

To restart the service, use the WorkSpaces console or WorkSpaces client to reboot the WorkSpace.

If you reboot the WorkSpace and the status is still Unhealthy, then complete the following steps to verify that the required services run correctly:

Use RDP to connect to the WorkSpace.

Run the following Windows PowerShell commands as an administrator to turn on all network adapters for the WorkSpace:

Get-NetAdapter | Where status -ne Up | Enable-NetAdapter

PCoIP WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService, PCoIPAgent | Select-Object -Property Name, DisplayName, Status, Starttype

DCV WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService, WSP,dcvserver | Select-Object -Property Name, DisplayName, Status, Starttype

If the status is Stopped, then run the following command to start the service:
PCoIP WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService, PCoIPAgent | Start-Service -verbose

DCV WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService, WSP,dcvserver | Start-Service -verbose

If the status is Stopped and StartType is Disabled or Manual, then run the following commands to change StartType to Automatic.
PCoIP WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService | Start-Service
Get-Service -Name PCoIPAgent | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Get-Service -Name PCoIPAgent | Start-Service

DCV WorkSpaces:

Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Get-Service -Name SkyLightWorkspaceConfigService | Start-Service
Get-Service -Name WSP | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Get-Service -Name WSP | Start-Service
Get-Service -Name dcvserver | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Get-Service -Name dcvserver | Start-Service

Then, start the service.

For more information about how to troubleshoot unhealthy WorkSpaces, see How do I troubleshoot a Windows WorkSpace that's in the Unhealthy state?

"Directory unavailable" or "Authentication failure" error

If you receive the "Directory unavailable" error message, then see How do I resolve the "Directory Unavailable" error in WorkSpaces?

If you receive the "Authentication failure" error message, then see Why can't I use the WorkSpaces Personal client to authenticate to my WorkSpace?

"Something went wrong" error

After you authenticate, the WorkSpaces client might get stuck on a launch screen. Then you might get the "Something went wrong" error message.

This error occurs because of issues with your SAML authentication configuration. To troubleshoot SAML authentication issues, see How do I troubleshoot SAML 2.0 authentication issues in WorkSpaces?

"Unable to register" error

When you try to register the WorkSpace, you might receive the following error message:

"Unable to register. This device is not authorized to access the WorkSpace. Please contact your administrator for assistance"

If you activated the IP access control group, then confirm that the public IP address that the user connects from allows access to the WorkSpace. You must restrict access to trusted devices in the WorkSpaces directory.

To confirm the public IP address allows access to the WorkSpace, complete the following steps:

Open the WorkSpaces console.
In the navigation pane, choose Directories.
Choose the directory from the list.
In the IP access control groups section, note the Group ID.
In the navigation pane, choose IP Access Controls and then select the Group ID.
Confirm that you allowed device access to the WorkSpaces directory and allowed the client device that you access the WorkSpace from.

Note: By default, WorkSpaces Web Access and Windows clients are turned off. Check that you turned on the trusted device setting and that the status is Valid. Then, make sure that you installed the correct leaf, intermediate (optional), and root certificates on the client machine.